Constraints on rail capacity around Manchester will be prioritised after 2014, according to a report by MPs.

The House of Commons Transport Committee said priority should be given to addressing rail capacity in the area and further electrification of the network, particularly the Midland main line between London and Sheffield.

The report said investment in schemes to integrate rail with other modes of transport did not always match 'the Government’s rhetoric' and is 'unacceptable'.

The Government has to ensure investment in rail took into account good integration with other modes of transport, the report said.

Increasing the use of smart and integrated ticketing outside London is a 'step in the right direction' but the Government has to 'make faster progress in this area' because it is the only way to 'achieve a genuinely convenient and accessible public transport system for passengers which presents a real alternative to the car'.

A lot of the rail network is 'creaking at the seams', the committee said.

The billions of pounds required for a new high-speed railway should not detract from investment in the existing railway.

The committee welcomed the scale of the current £35 billion investment programme, which covers the period 2009-2014, much of which is to be spent on increasing capacity in London, but investment between 2014 and 2019 may be lower.

Launching the report on Monday, committee chairman Louise Ellman (Lab: Liverpool Riverside) said: “It’s paramount we do not deprive future generations of a lasting legacy of good transport services. Investments made now or in the near future should reflect long-term needs of the economy and society.”

Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies, welcomed the report, and said: “While MPs recognise the inevitable pressure on public finances, they have called for rail investment to continue beyond 2014. Getting more people using trains, rather than cars or planes, will secure the economic benefits of rail, and help the UK meet its challenging climate change targets.